Lesson 10 - Exploring Plant Diversity

Question 1

What are the Key Characteristics of Plants?

Answer 1

• Plants are eukaryotic
• Plants have cell walls that contain cellulose
• Plants carry out photosynthesis, using chlorophyll to convert sunlight into chemical energy

Question 2

Explain the Evolution of Plants.

Answer 2

• Evidence shows ancestors of plants today were aquatic organisms similar to algae (plant-like protists).
• Plants have adapted to grow on land:
• Reduce water loss by growing cuticle (a waxy layer) on the plant surface (eg. leaves and roots)
• Disperse seeds without water currents – development of flowers and fruit (pollinators), and light weight (wind)
• Upright structure, like stem and anchoring structure like roots, to allow the plant to grow tall in order to get sunlight
• Tissues to transport nutrients, waste, and water

Question 3

What are the 5 Major Groups of Plants

Answer 3

1. Green Algae
   2.Mosses and Relatives
   3.Ferns and Relatives
   4.Seed Plants
   5.Flowering Plants

Question 4

Green Algae

Answer 4

• Found in shallow fresh water around the edges of ponds and lakes (need a lot of water to grow)
• Is the basic development of an ecosystem – dead algae provide nutrients in the soil for higher plants to grow 🡪 When there are plants, animals will be attracted to them

Question 5

Mosses – Seedless Non-vascular Plants

Answer 5

• Grow close to the ground in damp locations
• Do not have seeds or stems
• Lack a rigid support structure, therefore they cannot grow tall (non-vascular)

Question 6

Ferns – Seedless Vascular Plants

Answer 6

• Ferns are vascularized because they have tubes to carry fluid throughout the organism – they have the support to grow bigger.

Question 7

Seeds Plants - Gymnosperms

Answer 7

• Plants that bear “naked” seeds that are not protected and enclosed in an ovary.

Question 8

Flowering Plants - Angiosperms

Answer 8

• Closed Seeds
• Last to evolve because they have structures that prevent water loss